I bought these after listening to Hales, JMlabs and B&W. The B&W's sounded very muddy-but the JMlabs were excellent.The JM's seemed a little more accurate but not that much so I decided to buy the 80's since I already owned A Paradigm cc350 center and titans for surrounds. The 80's were to upgrade my Paradigm Mk5Se3's I've had for 3 years. I asked the salesman about biwiring the 80's and he informed me that it was not necessary. So,I bought some Monster Z2 Reference cable and hooked the 80's up and boy was I dissappointed. the speakers sounded very muddy with a lot of bass and very muffled midrange.I knew they could perform better so I called around regarding new cables until I found someone who really knew his sh**
This gentleman strongly suggested biwiring the speakers and recommended using TARALABS Prism biwire cables. He let me "borrow a pair" (as long as I left a deposit)and I hooked 'em up that night.
The result was AWESOME. The difference between the biwired Taras and the Monster Cable was like night and day.These speakers more than sound great-they are incredible. The highs, midrange and detail are unbelievably clear. The bass is super clean. I now thoroughly understand what the term "Reference" means!
THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS BIWIRE YOUR SPEAKERS! I've learned that with speakers of this caliber the right set of cables are all important. Great Speakers-They're making my old music seem new again.

Highly accurate, very musical! No better value for the bang. The rosewood cabinet is awesome also.The 100s sound pretty awesome. Pianos, voice, and
guitars sound more natural with the 100s. They need more power to drive
them though. The 80s are much more efficient. You can tell the difference
right away. The 80s are quicker, whereas the 100s are more sluggish.

You'd think with two woofers in the 100s that you'd get stronger bass. But
actually the bass is more noticeable in the 80s because your listening to
higher bass frequencies. With the 100s your listening to a much broader and
deeper range of lower frequencies.

At any rate, either pair is a good selection, depending on what you like
best.

Transparent, beautiful imaging, sweet mids and highs. Value for money.

None for the price paid

I heard about these speakers from the Internet and read some good reviews. I wanted to change my Paradigm Monitor 9 and was looking for a speaker which will serve as good front speakers in a home theatre set-up as well as relatively good sounding for a good audiophile stereo setup. On listening to the speaker at the distributors in Singapore I was pleasently surprised to hear good sounds coming out from this speakers from a relatively cheap AVReceiver at the shop.I have been very familiar with ultra high end audio having own the Genesis V with Classe top of the line amplifiers and Theta top of the line CD player and DA Converter. My instinct tells me that this will be a good speaker for my dual needs and it will definately sound better in my living room which is 26 ft. by 16 ft.than in the distributors showroom.
To my surprise when I set up the speakers in my living room and run it with my Rotel Power Amp, Sony TAE9000 Processor and Rotel RCD991 CD Player, the sound really blew me way.I was listening to music which sounded very close to my previous ultra high end setup, allbeit before the speakers have been completely run in. I am not going into details as to the characteristics of the sound as many others have mentioned about them, but suffice to say that this a fantastic speakers for the price you pay. Now after running it for one month, I can safely say to anyone who is thinking of a speaker for dual needs, to buy this one without any hesitation. You cannot go wrong on this provided you feed it with relatively good electronics and cables.On theatre sound, I used the Sony TAN9000ES 5 Channel Power Amp( Bridged for 3 Channels) for my Centre and Back Speakers which happens to also be Paradigm,the Rotel RB990 BX for the Front Speakers and together with the Paradigm Sub Woofer and Sony 7700 DVD Player, the Home theatre sound is really awesome. I am a very happy man now that I have a system which completely satisfy my audiophile and home theatre needs allbeit at a fraction of the price I paid for my previous high end system. Do not get me wrong that the stereo sound emanting from this system is not as as good as my previous system, but it sure is very close to it.What the heck, at paying a quarter of the price of my previous system, who's complaining!!

Similar Products Used:

Genesis V, Paradigm Monitor 9

I listened to many speakers before I decided to go with paradigm. B&W, HK, JBL. The 40s just sounded great. The B&W's I listened to, at the same price range, just couldn't match the mid that these put out. Its amazing just how much detail I was missing from music before I was listening through these.

To answer another reviewer's question. V2's have a grill all the way down the front.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Studio 40s, JBL 312S

Just want to correct my review below - the model I purchased is the Version 2 and the price paid is US$1000 for a brand new pair ( not $900) as stated earlier. All my other comments remain except that the sound is getting better and better.

My initial impression of the Paradigm Studio 80 Reference Series speaker system was quite favorable to say the least. Having smooth highs and a very solid base were only part of the story. In the demo room these speakers just sounded 'real'. But the true test was how they were going to perform in my listening room hooked up to my system (Classe' amp/pre-amp, Rotel CD player). To my surprise they exceeded my expectations. The foundation of well recorded music is very tight and controlled, conveying pace that I've never heard before in my room. The midrange is so real and involving that you would swear Holly Cole and Ella were right in the room with you. Depth and image specificity were also also strengths. What made me especially happy was finding it quite easy to position them for good sound; probably due to a well-braced, sturdy cabinet along with their gold feet. Looking at their beautifully finished cabinet is surely a plus. I cannot say what is the best for under $2k, but I can say they are the best that I have heard for under $4k. Anyone in the market should audition these.

Paradigm Reference Series Studio 80 speaker system sets a new benchmark against which all other 'real-world' speaker systems should be measured. Tight, controlled bass, smooth highs and a neutral midrange are just part of the story. I have never heard depth and realism out of an fairly affordable system like I have with the Studio 80s.

The Studio 80's replaced the Magnaplanar 1a's in the living room. These speakers retained the transparrent nature of the maggies and give the bass the maggies were missing. Vocals are outstanding. Excellent match for the Classe CA150/CP35.

I have had my pair of Studio 80s now about two weeks. I previously owned Paradigm's Export bipolars, which I traded in at my local dealer. The dealer (All Star Audio) allowed me to bring my speakers in and set them up to A-B them against the Studio 80s. I brought my own favorite CDs. I was impressed enough with what I heard that I made the trade. After 2 1/2 years of ownership, the dealer not only discounted the 80s, but also gave me a very decent trade in allowance for the Exports. I also bought the CC-450 center channel. My rear surrounds are a 2 year old pair of Paradigm's Mini Mark IIIs.
While A-Bing the Studio 80s against the Exports, I also compared them against Paradigm's Studio 100s. I have read some very good magazine reviews of the Studio 100s. For their $400 list price difference, I could not hear it. The Studio 80s look and sound great in my home theater. Although I had a notion to order a pair in cherry, the wife factor prevailed upon me to buy the black ash. They sit next to a 55" Toshiba big screen television. Between them and the Toshiba, I need a bigger house. Great sound, an easy 5 stars.

These speakers have very impressive bass. Although I wasn't happy with their midbass, it felt a little heavy. Overall sound was good, but for this price range I would audition a pair of Pinnacle Aerogel speakers. Good luck.